The second-in-command and the stable hand
by yogini
Summary: A knight in shining armour doesn't always have to journey far and wide to save a fair lady from hideous monsters or evil sorcerers. Sometimes the damsel is in distress right at his doorstep. Or, at least at the stable's doorstep. Leon/OC
1. Loves me, loves me not

A knight in shining armour doesn't always have to journey far and wide to save a fair lady from hideous monsters or evil sorcerers.  
Sometimes the damsel is in distress right at his doorstep. Or, at least at the stable's doorstep. Leon/OC

* * *

**Loves me, loves me not**

Travelling to Nemeth to deliver Princess Mithian's wedding gift, King Arthur is accompanied by his knights and Merlin. To apologize for not attending the wedding and, hopefully, appease the newly wedded princess the gift is a most generous one, six beautiful horses from Camelot's famous stables. To care for all the horses Iris, one of the stable hands and a friend of Merlin's, is brought along as well.

They had just stopped for the night and Arthur ordered the knights to set up the camp. Fortunately for Iris, the king also told Merlin to help her with the horses. Without help, she figured it would be well into the night before she was finished and she silently blessed Leon for suggesting that someone should help her. It was unfortunate however, that this someone turned out to be Merlin. This meant she found herself alone in his company, the very situation that she had tried to avoid for well over a week now. She knew that as soon as everyone else was too busy to listen he would bring it up again and it was not a conversation that she looked forward to.

As she had expected, Merlin wasted no time once the knights were out of ear-shot.  
"You have to tell someone."  
"I don't have to do anything" she answered turning her back at him to remove the saddle from Llamrei's back. The horse snorted quietly when she patted his neck and combed her fingers through the long, silky mane. She loved all of her four-legged friends and she did not have favorites as such but it was different with Llamrei, there was just something special about him. Realizing that Merlin still glared at her, she shifted uncomfortably.

"Look, why don't you go get some water for the horses?" Iris suggested in an attempt to avoid the subject and moved to the next horse but Merlin was having none of it.  
"You can't continue like this" he said, pretending not to have heard. He followed her as she moved from horse to horse, taking off, saddles, spreading out blankets on the grass to dry and putting the saddle bags to the side for the knights to collect.  
"Watch me." She tried to march off but Merlin stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.  
"If you don't tell then I will." And she knew that he would. Standing in her way, he crossed his arms over his chest and he had that stubborn look on his face that she knew only too well.  
"You can't do that Merlin" she said angrily. She side-stepped him and went to get a brush. The ride today had not been particularly hard but the fine layer of road dust needed to be removed, and it also gave her an opportunity to check for any injuries or sore muscles that would need treatment.  
"Yes I can." Merlin followed her back to the horses but made no move to help out this time either.  
"No!" At the sudden outburst the horses skittered uneasily and she apologetically tried to calm them down and lowered her voice. "You can't do that" she hissed.  
"Try me" he challenged her, but before he could actually do anything he was interrupted by Arthur's shouting.  
"If you're not helping with the horses anyway, Merlin, you might as well make yourself useful and start cooking us dinner."  
"Yes sire" he said curtly and turned to go out in search of firewood. "We're not done discussing this" he snapped at Iris. "You can't expect…"  
"And Merlin? Preferably _before _we all die from starvation" Arthur added pointedly, effectively interrupting Merlin who huffed angrily and stomped out of the clearing.

Having finished with the tents, Leon sat down with the rest of the knights, joking amongst each another. It was mostly Gwaine who found himself put on the spot but it was all in good fun and, despite the seemingly harsh jargon, they all respected each other as brothers. Leon did not say much, content to sit back and listen to the others. His eyes fell, like they had every so often lately, on Iris who was busy tending to the horses. When she and her brother came to Camelot all those years ago she had not stood out at all. She was just one of many, coming to seek the protection of Camelot after their homes had been raided. With so many desperate people who had lost everything, nobody really noticed yet another thin, scared child in dirty clothes.

However, as the years passed this had changed. She was given a place as a kitchen maid to earn her keep but was often found outside sneaking treats to the dogs and or playing with the cats instead of fetching more supplies. Realizing that the young girl had a good hand with animals, cook could not find it in her heart to scold her too much. Not even that time when she was caught nursing an injured squirrel back to health, even if it meant that the castle's supply of hazel nuts mysteriously dwindled. What little free time Iris had was spent in the stables and the old stable master finally took pity on her and allowed, with cook's blessing, her to become his apprentice instead. As he taught her everything worth knowing about horses her confidence grew and the shy girl that only spoke to her brother soon was known amongst townsfolk and castle servants alike. She quickly made friends and once she stumbled across Merlin (quite literally, since he had been sprawled on the floor picking up the fruit he'd dropped and she didn't see him) they discovered that they got along like a house afire. Merlin had rescued her when cook nearly caught her sneaking apples to the stables and she had saved him from being yelled at by Arthur when Merlin overslept and wouldn't have gotten the horses ready on his own. Always friendly and always ready to lend a hand, people certainly noticed her now.

In fact, not only did people notice her, these days she even stood out, and that was not only because of her personality. Long, blonde curls tumbling down her back, skin golden from many hours spent outdoors and a sweet smile that made dimples appear had heads turning as she passed. The number of people who took to checking on their horses in person grew rapidly as it provided an excellent excuse to spend more time in the stables, and the reins and stirrup leathers with broken seams that was previously delivered for mending by servants was now often brought by the owner in person. The fact that Iris was completely oblivious to all the attention only added to her charm. Some of the younger squires went out of their ways to make her notice them, even pretending that their horses were injured to get to spend time with her. Not even the knights were immune. Elyan showed a sudden interest in learning to shoe horses, claiming that it would be a useful skill on patrols and nobody was surprised to hear that Camelot's scallywag of a knight had made a rather lewd suggestion about the two of them and riding lessons.

Of course, Leon would never consider such cheap tricks himself. He was a knight of Camelot, not some love-sick little whelp, and he most certainly was not Gwaine, who would flirt, indecently, indiscreetly and incessantly, with anything wearing a skirt. Leon supposed the term was applicable even though Iris usually wore breeches. He had considered himself one of the few that had not gone mad in their eagerness to catch the eye of the pretty stable hand and internally congratulated himself on his self-control and sense of propriety. But even so, he had to admit to himself that it was always a better day when the reins was handed to him with a quick smile that sent a sparkle to beautiful grey eyes. And if he happened to stumble upon some apples lying around he might as well take them down to the stables himself. And after returning home after a long patrol it was comforting feeling to hand the reins back to her. Leon tried to convince himself that that was because it he knew that his horse would be well taken care of, but try as he might, he couldn't deny that it also had something to do with those grey eyes.

When one of the noblemen visiting Camelot decided to act less than courteously towards Iris after getting drunk off his arse, Leon stepped in without hesitation. Always the one to serve and protect, his action did not surprise anyone but the brute force with which he slammed the man into a wall raised a few eyebrows amongst his fellow knights. His blood boiled and he was dimly aware of the fact that Percival struggled to get him to release the man's throat and take a step back to allow Elyan and Gwaine to haul the culprit down to the dungeons. Alone in his chambers later that night, he tried to understand the sudden urge to kill the man and it finally dawned on him. He was as smitten as the rest.

With that insight came also the realization that he was not out of competition. Leon would never pull rank or use his status to eliminate the competition or gain an advantage in a matter such as this, it was up to Iris to decide. She was friendly enough towards him but then again, Iris was rarely unfriendly, and Leon couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be much more at ease in the company of others. Every time that Gwaine teased her she gave back as good as she got and whenever she and Merlin got together there was a never-ending chattering that had Arthur complaining of getting a headache. She even managed to coax Percival out of his shell and joke with her and that was no minor accomplishment considering the man rarely spoke at all. But every time Leon tried to speak to her she was ever polite, but did not seem to be able to relax and that made Leon nervous to the point where he couldn't figure out anything good to say. Conversations between them were awkward, to say the least, and it made Leon wonder if he had done something to offend her. Or did it have something to do with his person? It couldn't be his knighthood he thought; she got along fine with the others. He wasn't one to be vain but surely he was not entirely unattractive?

Leon snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that with Merlin gone off to collect firewood, Iris was left alone with all the work. He walked over to offer his help.  
"Need a hand?" he asked, trying to keep his tone of voice light.  
"Oh, thank you, it's too kind, but you don't have too, I mean sir knight, if you want…" Iris silently cursed as she made a fool out of herself, words tumbling from her lips and cheeks blushing. Embarrassed she looked down on the ground and Leon, not knowing whether her reaction was due to the fact that she didn't want any help or didn't want _his_ help, didn't know what to do say roughly assuring her it was no trouble. He then realized that he probably should have said something along the lines of "it would be my pleasure" instead.

Once Merlin had returned, he lit a fire and stared cooking. Iris, already finished with her chores thanks to Leon, assisted by bringing all the pots and pans from their packs. Then, as the might was rather chilly, she scooted closer to the fire and busied herself with mending a head collar. Gwaine, loudly complaining about how hungry he was, got up and went to raffle through their supplies in the hope of finding a pre-meal snack. Iris suddenly realized that he had managed to get his hands on the small woven sack that contained the apples she'd packed.  
"Gwaine, give me those. They're for the horses."  
"But the horses won't really need _all_ of them, right?" Gwaine's eyes were large and innocent. "One or two wouldn't be missed, surely…"  
"Knowing you, we're not talking about one or two apples, more like six or seven, and I nearly had to sell my soul to cook to get them in the first place. Give me that bag" she said firmly.  
"She adores you." Gwaine dismissed her argument with a shrug.  
"Be that as it may sir knight, the apples are still for the horses."  
"But what if I was to be considered a horse, just for this special occasion?" Gwaine attempted, winking at her.  
"Certainly got the mane for it anyway" Elyan commented as he passed them and everyone around snickered.  
"You are all just jealous of me." Gwaine pouted and flicked his long hair back with an exaggerated gesture.  
"You can have one apple, and that's me being much nicer than you deserve, sir knight" Iris said grinning and Gwaine made a show of bowing extravagantly and putting his right hand over his heart to express his gratitude. She smiled and held out an apple for him to take, but as she reached out the sleeve of her tunic slid up to reveal several bruises on her wrist.  
"What's that?" Gwaine asked, the playfulness suddenly replaced by worry.  
"Nothing, just an accident" she said quickly, snatching her arm away and tugging down the sleeve to cover the bruises.  
"Really?" Gwaine prompted.  
"I need to check on Llamrei's hooves" was the only thing that she managed to come up with as an excuse before she fled the scene.  
Gwaine considered this while munching his apple, and then decided to ask Merlin if he knew what was wrong.

It was soon clear to Gwaine that Merlin knew what was wrong but he was in a very foul mood and Gwaine quickly backed off, deciding that he needed to be in Merlin's good books, at least until after dinner was served anyway. No man, not even Gwaine, could survive on apples alone, and whatever trouble Iris had gotten into she was not in any immediate danger. Meanwhile Leon, who had clearly witnessed the whole apple incident save for the very last part, shot dark looks at Gwaine from where he sat across the fire.

"Why the long face, sir knight?" Gwaine teased as he sat down. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were jealous of me, and not only because of my good looks that is."  
"Hardly," Leon said through gritted teeth.  
"Oh, his eyes _do _look a little green, don't you think?" Gwaine continued his teasing. Merlin took pity on Leon and decided to join in.  
"Come on Gwaine, leave him alone." Gwaine held up his hands, feigning innocence and Merlin couldn't help but to quickly add "He's got is bad enough as it is" with a smirk. The look on Leon's face was pure shock.  
"Does everyone know?"  
"Well, the pining looks and the way you run after her like a love-sick puppy is a bit of a giveaway to be honest with you" Gwaine answered and Leon groaned and put his face in his hands.  
"As I said, why the long face? She's into you too" Gwaine nonchalantly said to Leon who looked up hopefully.  
"Really?  
"Yes, really." Leon was not entirely convinced that Gwaine wouldn't joke about this and turned to Merlin, looking uncertain.  
"Yes, really Leon," said Merlin confirmed, "she likes you." At his words Leon started smiling but then his shoulders drooped and he looked gloomy again. "But then why does she laugh and joke with you and all the others and not with me?"  
"Because she is not in love with me" Gwaine answered, quickly adding "which is of course unbelievable, seeing how handsome and  
charming I am…" Merlin punched him in the shoulder and Gwaine turned serious again.  
"I see her as a younger sister Leon, and I tease her and she teases me back, and that is all there is to it. For all of us. It's different with you. She's in love with you and she doesn't know what you feel so it's a bit awkward and she doesn't know what to say and blushes and all that."  
Leon still didn't look totally convinced.  
"And also, none of the other knights are nobles and I'm a servant" Merlin added. "She didn't grow up at court, maybe she just feels a bit intimidated by the whole nobility thing? You know that she's always nervous when she talks to Arthur as well."  
"Yes, maybe," Leon said thoughtfully.  
"It was not that long ago that the princess married Gwen either" Gwaine pointed out. "Many people would never have imagined that a servant could marry a noble, let alone a king. Even if this whole nobility thing is rubbish if you're asking me, I mean the idea that an inherited title would…"  
"No one did ask you Gwaine." Merlin cut Gwaine off and got promptly cuffed over the head but Leon didn't seem to have heard the last part of the conversation as he stared into the fire, lost in thoughts.  
"Maybe I should… maybe I should tell her that I don't care whether she is noble or not?" Leon finally asked, looking at the other two.  
Gwaine considered his self-restraint to be of superhuman proportions as he managed not to laugh at Leon's words. Honestly, it was if the man had never met a girl before.  
"I think that's a really good idea" he simply answered but before Leon got the chance to do so, Arthur asked him to have a look at the maps and plan for the best route ahead and he went to join the Prince in his tent.

"Who knew that you could be so serious Gwaine?" Merlin teased his friend, as this was a side of his friend that he rarely showed anyone. Deep down, below all the jokes, Gwaine really cared for his friends and wanted nothing else than seeing them happy. Not that that would necessarily rule out a few pokes in the ribs here and there but this was Leon, a man of duty above all. He had gotten himself into a situation that he didn't really know how to handle and if Gwaine would tease him there was a fair chance that Leon would blush crimson red and never have the courage to talk to Iris. That would mean no end to Leon's pining, and a pining Leon was a frustrated Leon, and a frustrated Leon, now that was a downright unpleasant man in Gwaine's opinion. Apparently, the only way of dealing with frustration that Leon knew of was to fill the days with extra practices and other physical activities and Gwaine most certainly did _not _want that to happen. Plus, it would be rather fun to see the first knight of Camelot hanging his head like a schoolboy when scolded for forgetting to give the horses their good night-apples or something like that.  
"I have my moments, my friend, I have my moments."  
"Sadly, they´re very few and far between" Merlin grinned, before he suddenly found himself in a headlock and yelped. "Oi! Let me go! Otherwise there won't be dinner tonight!"

Despite Merlin's threat, dinner was eventually served and everyone helped themselves. After the meal the group started to settle down for the night and Arthur laid out the schedule for the watches before retreating to his tent. If anybody noticed that the worst slot, just before dawn, was once again given to Gwaine they didn't comment on it, but apparently the comment about nobles had reached Arthur's ears after all. When Gwaine grumbled about lost beauty sleep, Arthur just replied drily that it was lucky that he was already so handsome then and had everyone howling with laughter at Gwaine's expense again. Merlin went to the nearby stream to wash up the plates and Iris took the opportunity to go check on the horses for the night with no Merlin around to corner her alone. She made sure that all of the horses were tethered securely, that they had fresh water to drink and patted each horse good night. She stayed a while longer with her own horse Aros, an even-tempered bay stallion, talking sweet nonsense to him as she combed her fingers through his mane, smoothing out any tangles.

"Well? Are you going to tell or am I going to have to?" Iris jumped at the sound of Merlin's voice. Clearly she had stayed longer than she thought because she had meant to be in her tent, pretending to be asleep, before he returned. With a sigh she put her arm over Aros' neck for support and decided that she was not above begging.  
"Please Merlin, you don't understand, no one can know about this."  
"Why?" he insisted.  
"You don't know the whole story, telling someone will only make it worse. Please don't say anything." Iris clenched her hands so to the point where her nails dug into the skin of the palms and threatened to draw blood.  
"Then explain to me" Merlin pleaded.  
"That wouldn't change anything so what would be the point?"  
"It won't get better if you don't do anything about it" Merlin said, "I do this because I care, not because I want to get you in trouble. Why can't you understand that I'm trying to help?"  
"Because it won't be helping!" Iris snapped angrily at Merlin, who stood his ground and glared back. Without noticing they had gone from a conversational tone of voice to something that was very close to shouting and the knights had approached them to see what was happening.

"What's going on?" The sound of Leon's voice caused both of them to jump with surprise and swiftly turn around, only to notice that what was a private quarrel moments ago, had now become a rather public affair. Not only Leon had approached them but also Percival, Gwaine and Elyan.  
Nothing" Iris said which had Merlin shaking his head vigorously. Leon looked in disbelief from one to the other.  
"Nothing?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "You shout at each other, look like you're about to start throwing punches and you've been avoiding each other for days now. That's hardly _nothing_, is it?"  
"It really is, just a misunderstanding" Iris insisted at the same time as Merlin next to her shouted impatiently "go on, tell him already!"

"Tell who what?" The sound of Arthur's voice allowed Leon, visibly relieved, to take a step back and let the king handle the matter instead.  
"Well?" he prompted, looking none too pleased with having to leave the comfort of his tent to break up a quarrel between two of his servants. Iris, mortified to say the least, fixed her eyes on the ground and looked like she wanted to disappear. Merlin just stared at her.  
"You both seemed to have plenty to say only moments ago" Arthur said annoyed. Realizing that Iris was not going to tell anyone anything unless forced to do so Merlin began explaining:  
"Sire, the stable…" but he was cut short by Iris trying to lunge herself at Merlin to shut him up, causing him to stumble backwards and fall over a branch on the ground. That was when Arthur's thinly worn patience finally snapped.  
"Enough!" He flung an arm around Iris' waist and dragged her back towards the fire while Percival stepped forward and helped Merlin get back on  
his feet.  
"Right. You sit here, there we go" Arthur said, whilst pushing Iris to the ground rather unceremoniously. "Merlin, on the other side." he added pointing. Merlin glared a bit but didn't comment as he sank to the ground as well.  
"If we were back in Camelot you both would be in the stocks right now" Arthur muttered as he sat down, as did the knights, careful to place themselves as buffers between the two servants.

"Right, so" Arthur said. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"  
"It won't happen again, I'm so sorry sire," came quietly from Iris, eyes downcast.  
"Well _sire,_ I'm not" Merlin spat out. "She's…" Iris tried get to Merlin again to but Leon managed to catch the collar of her tunic and yanked her back on the ground.  
"By the gods, I feel like the bloody keeper of two squabbling children" Arthur groaned, passing a hand over his forehead. "Yes Merlin, you were saying?" As Iris struggled against Leon's grip Merlin quickly said "The stable master's mistreating his servants." At his words Iris slumped where she sat and Leon reluctantly deemed it safe to let go of her.  
"What do you mean?" Arthur said, frowning, "Gwilym is a respected man; he was given the warmest recommendations and I have only ever heard praise on his work."  
"Ask her" Merlin said, gesturing towards Iris who tried to make herself as small as possible as everyone's eyes turned to her.  
"Iris?" Leon gently prompted, but she just shook her head, still not looking up.  
"Does this have anything to do with those bruises?" Gwaine asked a moment later, after he was done putting two and two together.  
Iris' head snapped up.  
"That was an accident" she said quickly.  
"What bruises?" Leon asked sharply before anyone had the time to.  
"On her wrist" Gwaine answered at the same time as Elyan said "On her neck".  
Everyone looked around in confusion at each other until Arthur decided that he had quite enough of quarrels, half-explanations and mysteriously bruised servants for one night. Really, was it too much to ask for a good night's sleep?

"You", he said, pointing straight at Iris, "will tell me what all this is about. _Now_."  
"Sire, I can't" she said, voice barely audible.  
"And why is that exactly? " Arthur snapped impatiently.  
"He will know who told, and then what? Then my brother will starve, that's what." Iris snapped out, now on the verge of tears, too upset to care about using proper titles.  
"Sire, Iris can't lose her job" Merlin suddenly realized. "Her brother doesn't have a job and I think she provides for both of them. Right?"  
He looked at Iris who nodded in confirmation.  
"If he did use the money that you give him to actually buy food rather than going to the tavern, I would understand." Merlin's eyes were full of compassion. "But he wastes the money and is too drunk to keep down a job. Why do you do so much for him, when he gives nothing in return?"  
Iris refused to answer and as Arthur didn't really want to force his servant to talk it seemed that they had hit impasse. That was until Leon spoke up.

"The stables of my father's household are nowhere near as impressive as Camelot's, but they are well kept and my father is a kind master. I give you my word that there will be a place for you there, and your brother if he so wishes, if you just tell us all about this matter." Iris looked up at him like she didn't know what to believe. Then, an incoherent stream of words broke loose.  
"It's not that I didn't want to, tell I mean, but I couldn't risk, for my brother, because he is powerful, and it's not only me, everyone of us has someone, you understand, don't you?" She looked at Leon, pleading that he would understand.  
"If you tell us, you will not have to go back there unless you want to. You have my word" he simply said. "And I don't imagine that Arthur would let the others suffer any consequences for bringing any irregularities to light" He looked at Arthur who nodded.  
"Of course not."  
Iris looked first at Merlin, as if needing a confirmation, and after he'd nodded, she turned to Leon.  
"Would you, would you really? For me?"  
"Yes. You have my word." Blue eyes looked straight into hesitant grey ones, and then Iris nodded.

She started her story from the very beginning, about how the old stable master had retired and Uther had chosen to appoint Gwilym as the new stable master. How he seemed to be a good man, willing to listen and take their routines into consideration while adding ideas of his own. Then how things changed as the time went on. How he had saved money by cutting down on the wages, about how the horses were given less to eat and how he bought grains of lesser quality. How ill horses had to go untreated because he refused to pay for treatment and medications. How his bad temper got worse when he was drunk and how he would hit the horses when he was in a foul mood and, if anyone protested against this, how he would turn on them instead. How they were too few to run the stables, how they had to work longer hours and sometimes didn't have time to eat. How those who protested were threatened, or let off. How none of them could risk that because they had families to support.

The whole time while she spoke the others listened, fearing that asking questions would interrupt her now that she finally dared to speak freely. Arthur sat in stony silence as did the others for the most part, but Merlin couldn't stop hissing angrily when Iris revealed details that he had not known previously, and when she came to the part about how her wrists got bruised, Leon balled his hands into fists and looked ready to kill someone. When she'd finished, all that was heard was the wind rustling the leaves and the crackling of the fire, and the occasional snort from one of the horses. The silence dragged out while everyone considered what they'd just heard and Iris shifted uncomfortably.

"Merlin knew about all this?" Arthur broke the silence at last.  
"Only that Gwilym wouldn't pay for medications, not the rest of it. One of the horses, Lyra, got kicked and had a nasty cut. I went to him for supplies to treat it. We could have gotten it from the market if we'd had the money to pay for it but…" She shrugged her shoulders and the rest of the sentence faded away.  
"He's lucky that I didn't know more" Merlin spat out. "Why didn't you tell me Iris?"  
"Why didn't you tell _me_?" Arthur asked Merlin.  
"Because I asked him not to, sire" Iris said hurriedly. "It's not his fault so don't punish him because it was my fault and if anyone is in trouble…"  
Arthur held up a hand to stop her.  
"I'm not seeking to punish anyone but I wish that you would feel safe enough to take matters such as these to me."  
"Oh," Iris said surprised. "It's not that we don't trust you, sire, it's just that he said it was such a small matter that the king would never look into it and if you did you would ask why we didn't tell anyone sooner and it would be our fault for not telling sooner and he would make it look like it was us that stole the money and..."  
"Iris?" Merlin interrupted.  
"Yes?"  
"Breathe."  
"Oh, right" she said embarrassed.

The night had fallen as they spoke and the air was chilly. Merlin didn't seem too bothered, but he sat pretty close to the fire, and Iris wished that she too had had a cape like the knights as she tried to discreetly rub her hands together to warm them. The small movement didn't escape Leon who swiftly undid his cloak and put it around her shoulders. She felt like she should protest, it was his cloak after all and why should he be cold because of her, but the material was so lovely and soft, still warm from his body, and she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she just smiled shyly and thanked him. Elyan and Percival both grinned widely and Gwaine didn't miss the opportunity to wolf whistle, earning himself an elbow to the ribs and a stern look from Merlin. Arthur just raised an eyebrow at their antics and decided it was time to bring the conversation back on track.

"Well, I definitely see why you didn't dare tell anyone, and I don't blame you for that" he said. "What I don't understand is that nobody else was suspicious. The vendors should have reacted."  
"Also sire, the stable master is required to keep books" Leon pointed out. "The he treasurer should have reacted if he found anything out of the ordinary."  
"Have you seen anything out of order with the books?" Arthur asked. Iris blushed and mumbled something.  
"Sorry?"  
"I don't know because I can't read" she repeated louder, "but I do know that he has two books that look the same, one in his office is the one that he takes to the treasurer and then there is another one that he hides in a cupboard."  
"Right. As soon as we return to Camelot, I promise you that I will look into this."  
"Thank you, sire."  
And with that they all, finally, went to their tents, except Percival who stayed to take the first watch.

"Do they think so little of me? Don't they trust me?" Arthur was visibly disturbed as he retreated to his tent with Merlin in tow.  
"They think that you are like your father, sire" Merlin answered.  
"But I am not!"  
"I know that, sire, but he is the only king that they have known and you'll have to give them time to realize that you are different from him."

Upon the return to Camelot no time was wasted and when the treasurer confirmed that he had indeed had his suspicions but that he hadn't managed to find anything out of the ordinary, Arthur ordered Gwilym to be brought before him to explain himself. It was soon clear that large sums of money had disappeared, and after Arthur had ensured them that no one would be let off or reprimanded, the other stable hands stepped forward and confirmed Iris' story. When Arthur pronounced Gwilym's sentence Iris, who was standing next to Merlin, smiled relievedly and gratefully, however her eyes were not on her king but on the man standing to his right.

"So" Gwaine said, his eyes sparkling with mirth, "this is where I demand to know if your intentions towards the lovely Iris are honourable, isn't it?"  
At this, Iris just laughed and gave Gwaine a shove to the shoulder but Leon was less amused.  
"What part of the sentence _spending the afternoon alone _did you not understand Gwaine?" he growled out through gritted teeth and Merlin decided he'd best interfere before bloodshed was inevitable.  
"That's hilarious Gwaine, coming from the man who doesn't even know the meaning of the word honourable" he chipped in, swiftly dragging Gwaine away from the couple.  
They would probably prefer to discuss their intentions, among other things, in privacy.

* * *

_Author's note  
This was originally meant to be a one-shot and end like this, but after I posted it I got an idea for a small accompanying piece. I decided to start writing and see where it would take me, and then I decided to post it as a second chapter._  
_Aaaaaand then, I got a new little idea so I think that I'll just go with it for now and add a couple of more short chapters and we'll just see what happens :-)_


	2. An important (k)night

Preparations for an important night with an important knight... And some teasing of Gwaine...

* * *

**An important (k)night**

There was a soft knock on the door and Iris rose to cross the room and opened the door.  
"Milady?" To her surprise Gwen was standing in the hallway.  
"I just came to see if you wanted some company?"  
"Yes, but…" Iris paused momentarily; surely it was rude to ask the queen if she didn't have other things to do? She settled for "I'd love to, but don't you have other duties to attend to, milady?" She didn't say more important duties but it was clear to both of them what she meant.  
"No, I always have the time to talk to my future sister-in-law." Gwen smiled. "Leon is as much of a brother to me as Elyan is. And please call me Gwen. May I come in?"  
"Of course." Iris scrambled awkwardly out of the way. The queen was already dressed for the banquet, in a deep red velvet dress and her hair elegantly framing her beautiful face, and Iris felt particularly insignificant standing next to her. She had put on the dress that Leon had gotten her for the evening but next to the radiant queen she felt completely out of place and would rather have changed back into her old breeches and gone down to the stables. That's where she belonged, with the other stable hands, with the horses, and not with all the ladies and lords and their fine clothes and good manners. She would not want to make a fool of herself, because that would effectively mean making a fool of Leon and he should not suffer for falling in love with her instead of a noble woman. In fact maybe he'd be better off without her, with someone that knew the customs of the court and didn't work in a stable and…

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Gwen's question cut through her thoughts.  
"I suppose, milady… Gwen" she corrected herself.  
"The dress suits you very well" Gwen complimented. "Why don't you finish doing your hair as well? You'll take Leon's breath away when he sees you tonight."  
"About that," Iris said hesitantly, "would anyone mind terribly if I didn't really, you know, attend tonight?"  
"Why not?" Gwen asked. "Are you not feeling well?"  
"No, I mean yes, I'm fine. It's just that there's going to be so much people there and everyone will look at me and comment on what I do and…" The rest of the sentence faded and she shrugged her shoulders. "It's just so overwhelming and I don't want to disappoint him."

Gwen looked at the young girl in front of her, and remembered how she had felt when in the same situation, with everyone having their own opinion about her and wondering whether or not she was good enough for Arthur, good enough for Camelot, good enough to be a queen. She couldn't help but feel a sudden rush of protectiveness sweep through her.  
"It's expected of you to be there, Iris" Gwen said kindly. "Not only because tradition demands it, but also because Leon will be devastated otherwise. And I'm sure that you will not disappoint anyone."  
"But why does everyone look at me so much? I can't leave my room without anyone staring me down" Iris said desperately.  
"Oh, little one," Gwen said, "Leon is not only one of the best of Camelot's knights and the king's second in command, but also a member of the nobility. That means that people will take an interest in his personal life, and yours, now that you are a part of it. Besides, he _is_ very handsome" she added and laughed when Iris blushed.  
"You grew up with him!" The words were out of Iris' mouth before she could stop them and she slapped her hand over her mouth and looked horrified at Gwen, who only laughed and Iris' embarrassment and stumbling attempts to make an excuse.  
"And I'm also married, but that doesn't mean that I've suddenly lost my eyesight." Gwen giggled but then turned serious again.  
"There are also political reasons for this" she continued. "Leon may not be the oldest of his brothers but it could be that he will inherit his father's estate someday. As lord of the manor, he will have a place in council and people are interested to see what kind of a man he is, to know whether to treat him as an ally or a threat. And there will be an interest in you as well, since you are in his life."  
"But I'm not a noble, I don't do politics, I've never worn a dress like this before and I don't even know what to do with this thing" Iris said, slightly panicking, and threw her comb across the room. Gwen just smiled and went to pick it up.

"Let me help you."  
"Oh no, you can't do that!"  
"Why?"  
"Because you're the queen!" Iris realized that she'd been nearly shouting. "Sorry, milady."  
"Just call me Gwen." She smiled and went to stand behind Iris and put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "I also went through some of what you're experiencing now, when I got married to Arthur, and I can help you. Besides, it's fun to have another girl around again." She smiled and started combing through the long curls. Iris looked as if she didn't believe what was happening and tried to turn around when Gwen stopped her.  
"I was a serving girl before I was made queen, and I think I still remember how to do this" she said firmly. "Besides, you'll need the help. After all, it's not that often that have to get the horses ready for a banquet is it?"  
"No" Iris had to admit with a small smile, feeling calmer. "Sometimes we braid their manes, though, and put in flowers. Like, for weddings."  
"Flowers would look really nice in your hair, maybe pale yellow roses, but it's not really the season for them right now. Besides, you're not a horse now are you?" Gwen teased her.  
"No" Iris said with a small smile and then fell silent.  
"Why are you so nervous?"  
"It feels like everyone is going to see right through me, and realize that I'm just a peasant dressed up in fine clothes."  
"Better not let Gwaine hear you say that" Gwen giggled. "Then we'd get the inevitable 'nobility is defined by what you do, and not by who you are'-speech," she continued, but her tone of voice was full of fondness. They may laugh at Gwaine's expense but there were few men that were more loyal than him.  
"He's right, though" Iris said. "What matters is who you really are, right?"  
"Yes. And you really are a wonderful person." This had Iris blushing slightly.  
"Thank you, milady."  
"I've told you so many times already to call me Gwen" the queen scolded her lightly. "There. You look stunning." She took a step back to admire her handiwork and Iris smiled shyly as she stepped over to the mirror to take a look at herself. She might feel like a peasant on the inside but on the outside she looked ever so noble. She wore a pale green dress with embroidery on the sleeves and Gwen had combed her hair back from her face, collecting it loosely the nape with a ribbon the same coulour as the dress, allowing the long curls to tumble freely down her back.  
"Thank you, Gwen."  
"You're welcome, little one" Gwen answered and pulled her into a hug.

Iris was not the only one to be nervous this afternoon. After the tournament, custom dictated that the participants were to retire to their chambers and rid themselves of the grime, dust and fatigue that the jousting had brought, before joining the rest of the court for the celebratory banquet. Leon was among the contestants, of course, and was pleased with his accomplishments this day, feeling content and also a bit smug. He had managed to unhorse Gwaine in the mêlée and looked forward to poking the other knight in the ribs about it, both literally and figuratively. He'd also done good in the crossbow competition. Now he just longed to change out of his chain mail and have a relaxing bath before getting ready for the evening. He gave orders for water to be brought to his chambers and went down to the armoury to dispose of his chain mail and weapons. Many of Camelot's knights who had also participated in the tournament were already there and it seemed the festivities had started already. Some energetic person, perhaps Gwaine, had made sure that wine and ale was brought there from the kitchen cellars and no one hesitated to help themselves.

"Drowning your sorrows already, Gwaine?" Leon couldn't help but saying as he passed the other knight, a smug smile firmly in place.  
"No, sir knight, I'm merely toasting to your good health and fortune. And maybe, just maybe, I'm drinking to forget how bad your breath smells; after all it was the very reason as to why I was unhorsed in the first place. The stench knocked me right out." Gwaine raised his jug of ale in a mocking toast before downing the rest of the contents.  
"Are you sure it was not your own socks then?" Leon replied without missing a beat and general laughter and catcalling ensued.  
"Me, I could've sworn that it was the murderous look from that poor woman's husband that clubbed him" Percival continued before Gwaine could come up with a retort. It appeared that the ale had helped loosen Percival's tongue and Gwaine seemed to regret refilling his friend's cup when he glared at Percival with all the dignity that he could muster in his current state. It was no secret that Gwaine was a bit of a ladies man, but this time he'd taken it a bit too far. By carrying the favour of his latest conquest right in front of said woman's husband he had made sure that the affair was in no way secret anymore. The husband had, quite understandably, not taken well to the news and if looks could kill, sir Gwaine would not be around to tell the tale.  
The thought of a bath was increasingly appealing, despite the sheer hilarity of watching a slightly tipsy Gwaine try to get back at not-tipsy-at-all Percival, and Leon decided to head back to his chambers. If Gwaine would beat Percival in anything, it certainly would not be wrestling anyway, Leon thought, and swallowing the last of his ale, he made for the door.

Tonight was a very important night. To their friends their relationship was no secret, considering that so many of them were present on the night that had led to Iris and Leon finally acknowledging their feelings for one another, it would be impossible for them not to know. During the months that had passed since then they had spent increasingly more time together and anyone who could be considered as somewhat closer than a mere acquaintance was bound to have noticed that something was going on, or alternatively to have lived under a rock. But even if their relationship was no secret, it still had not been publically acknowledged as tradition dictated, and tonight that was supposed to happen. The banquet on the evening after the tournament was not as much a festive meal to celebrate the day, than an archaic ceremony that included food, drinks and ancient customs. One of these was the returning of the tokens. Every knight fortunate enough to have a lady give him a token of good luck before the jousting began wore it during the day and hopefully honouring the faith that she had bestowed upon him. The winner of the tournament was decided by the king, but ultimately whether a knight succeeded or not was for his lady to decide. When the banquet began, everyone would gather in the hall, except the participants of the joust. They would instead enter after everyone else and, upon approaching their lady, humbly ask her to accept the token back. If she did, it was a sign that she was pleased with him and they would sit together for the feast. If she didn't, it was a sign of her displeasure and the knight would have to go off to sit among the squires, those who had not competed and his disgraced brothers-in-arms that, like himself, had failed to impress on the jousting grounds today.

But this little ceremony was not only a display of approval or disapproval of the knight's performance, if a lady accepted or not was also an indication on how she felt about the knight courting her, and this was the reason they'd chosen this way to make their relationship official.

Leon was nervous. He was certain that Iris would accept but he was still nervous. When they'd talked about the ceremony she had not particularly liked the idea of showing the court who she belonged to, like a possession. However, she had calmed down once Leon had assured her that he did not regard this as a way of claiming her for himself, but a chance for both of them to manifest their mutual decision of being together. Still, that had not refrained her from commenting that if it was a public announcement he wanted, it would be much easier for them just to walk down to the courtyard and have a good snog in front of the castle servants, which effectively would lead to the whole town knowing all about it in less than two hours. Leon supposed he should be happy, and he was, really, that her initial shyness towards him was diminishing by the day and that she would now joke with him like any other of her friends but it was no denying that it could be _extremely_ embarrassing sometimes. Especially since Gwaine had unfortunately been present at the time and would not stop calling him a prude and teasing him about the fact that Leon had blushed to a deep beetroot-red colour when hearing the word snog escape from Iris' pretty mouth. Just thinking of it made Leon's face feel warm again but now was not the time to consider whether a certain word was appropriate in court or not. Ha had to get ready.

Gwen had told her how this was about to happen but Iris still felt nervous when waiting among the other women in the hall. The king and queen had just made their entrance and this meant that the king would soon welcome the knights in to join them. She willed herself not to bite nervously on her bottom lip and looked at Merlin where he stood behind Arthur. He gave her a quick smile of encouragement and she felt better.  
"… and as this is a banquet to celebrate the skills that they have demonstrated on the field today, it is now time for our brave participants to join us. Please enter!" Arthur finished his speech and the excitement in the hall grew as the knights and nobles who had fought that day stepped in. Iris looked impatiently until she saw Leon's blonde hair where he stood between Elyan and Percival. Gwaine hadn't even bothered to keep up the pretense and had already sat down, knowing full well that his lady would not be present this evening and that he might as well get one of the good spots at the table before they were all taken. One by one the knights were called forward and then Leon's name was called out.

Even if was no secret to anyone in Camelot whose token he had been carrying during the day, there were still many that had travelled far to attend, and a non-negligible amount of foreign guests. Hence, a small murmur rose when he didn't approach any of the noble women of the established courts but instead turned to a common, albeit very pretty, girl. But that didn't seem to matter to either of them when they went to sit down together, not letting go of each other's hands.


	3. Protecting one's virtue

Becuse being courted by a knight sometimes comes with unforseen consequences...

* * *

**Protecting one's virtue**

"I cannot believe that this is happening" Iris said, mortified. "I just _cannot_ believe…" As Iris saw it, disaster was about to strike but Merlin didn't look too bothered about the whole sitauation.  
"Believe it" Merlin simply answered, trying not to laugh and failing miserably. Iris just glared at the man supposed to be her friend.  
"Help me! she insisted. "Stop her, spill some wine over Arthur, pretend someone's attacking and sound the alarm, _do_ _something_, will you?" but by now Merlin had collapsed on the floor and it was clear she was going to get no help whatsoever from him.

It was some weeks after the banquet and Iris had started to adjust to her new life with all the implications that came with being courted by a knight. Some of the implications she didn't mind at all (like the fact that she could easily get off work early if Leon was expected back from patrol), some were very good (like the kisses and the feel of Leon's arms around her), some were bearable (like all of a sudden everyone addressing her "lady Iris"), and then there were some downright weird consequences too. Like the sudden need that everyone felt to _never_ leave her unchaperoned.

Cook had, when first realizing that her young protégée had fallen in love, taken it upon herself to corner Leon and ask him about his intentions. Apparently, she was satisfied with his answers because both of them had emerged from the room alive after the conversation, and she'd given them her blessing. If Leon seemed a little pale it was no doubt because cook had decided to bring one of her biggest kitchen knives to the meeting, but he soon recovered from the whole ordeal and Iris had thought that all was well in the world.

But then disturbing news of thefts, thefts of livestock and of horses, had reached the king who was to send some of his knights off to investigate. When it was discovered that these thefts had also affected several estates owned by the crown, Arthur decided to join them, as well as bringing Iris and Alwyn, another one of the stable hands, with him, so that they could hopefully help tracking down the stolen animals and find the thieves.

Cook had not been content when she got the news and she had promptly demanded a private audience with the king, refusing to take no for an answer. The objective was to make him promise to protect Iris' virtue on the upcoming journey and Iris was beyond mortified, especially when she found out that a private audience somehow included Arthur's closest knights as well.  
"I don't want her going anywhere unchaperoned and she's under no circumstances to be allowed to share a tent with sir Leon. Do I make myself clear, sire?" she just said in a tone of voice that made everyone in the room question who was the monarch and who was the subject. Iris looked like she wanted to disappear, never to be seen again, Leon's face bore a similar expression.  
"I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that the virtue of the young lady is protected." Iris had no idea how Arthur could say that while keeping a straight face, let alone how he could say the words at all. Gwaine on the other hand couldn't keep a straight face to save his life, and he had to bite his fist to stop himself from laughing out loud. Arthur sent him a warning glance but cook didn't seem to have noticed.  
"Thank you, sire" she said content, curtsied, and then turned to leave the room. "Come with me, lassie" she said and Iris found herself dragged from the council room by the arm. "We're going to have a little talk, you and I."  
"I'm so sorry" Iris mouthed to Leon over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner. Merlin was still on the floor, panting for air and unable to stand up because of laughing so hard.  
"_Mer_lin, do try to behave, will you?" Arthur said acidly but that only resulted in Gwaine barking with laughter and Elyan going from a barely concealed grin to full laughter as well. Arthur sighed.  
"Not you two as well" he moaned, which promptly set Percival off. Arthur just rolled his eyes. The only one not laughing at this, excluding himself, was Leon who looked thoroughly embarrassed and Gwen, and the only reason she wasn't laughing was probably because she was not present. He would have to talk to her later, as he had no idea what to do about the situation.  
"Leon?"  
"Yes, sire?"  
"Please refrain from doing _anything_ that might make that woman want my head on a plate, is that understood?"  
"Completely, sire."  
"That's all for today then" Arthur said and got up to return to his chambers. He took one look at what had been a council room minutes before and now mostly resembled a playroom for children.  
"Merlin, I want you to pack my things, prepare a bath for me and bring me supper. And get off the damn floor, will you!" Arthur stomped out of the room, leaving Merlin to struggle to his feet and follow him.

They were to leave early in the morning and Alwyn and Iris was up at dawn to prepare the horses. A little while later Merlin stumbled through the door with his own and Arthur's saddle bags slung over his shoulders, and when the knights started to turn up as well, they started to bring the horses out into the courtyard.  
"It's not like she was really worried about that before, why now?" Iris said exasperated, handling the reins to Gwaine. "If she can trust me in the castle, with all the conveniently empty rooms and well hidden alcoves that are so easy to sneak off to, why can I not be trusted now, when surrounded by a bunch of chaperons, in the middle of a forest? Not to mention, sleeping in a not very soundproof tent!"  
"I don't think that you're the one she doesn't trust" Gwaine snickered in response. To him, this whole situation was hilarious and Iris just rolled her eyes at him.  
"I guess, but Leon being anything less than the role model of a gentleman is somehow hard to believe."  
"Especially since cook threatened to cut his balls off, should he be tempted to." Gwaine couldn't stop grinning.  
"She did what?" Iris said shocked. "Why didn't he tell me?"  
"Because he probably wouldn't want to admit that a knight of Camelot is scared of a plump, middle aged woman."  
"Oh, shush you." Iris half-heartedly punched Gwaine's shoulder. "Still, he should have told me, I'll have to talk to her about this. It's getting downright embarrassing the way she keeps meddling."  
"She does it because she cares about you, little one." Gwaine turned serious. "Not everyone's lucky enough to have someone looking out for them."  
"I know. And I'm not ungrateful for it, it's just…" Iris sighed. "…maybe she could care in a way that is a little less embarrassing?"  
"You don't always get to choose, little one" Gwaine looked like he was enjoying the situation immensely. "And if you think this is bad, just imagine the speeches at the wedding." Iris didn't say anything but her eyes widened in horror and she almost fled back into the stable to get the horses for Percival and Leon, Gwaine's laughter following her.

When they had all mounted and were ready to go, Merlin saw cook coming out to see them off and quickly made sure to place his horse in between Iris and Leon.  
"Just to be safe" he teased and that had Gwaine howling with laughter again. Leon, looking less amused, urged his horse forward and went to ride beside Arthur. Iris just rolled her eyes and decided to play along for a while, staying at the back of the line with Merlin. At least until they were out of sight from the castle.

When they made camp that night it was soon clear to Arthur just how ridiculous the situation was. Iris was not allowed to go get water for the horses on her own, but who was supposed to go with her? If she couldn't go with Leon, the very role model of chivalry, how was it a better idea for her to be accompanied by someone like Gwaine? Or any of the other knights that were unmarried? That left himself, Merlin and Alwyn. If men supposed to uphold the knight's code could not be trusted, surely common servants couldn't be either? Did that mean that _he_ would have to go get the horses water?  
"Sire?" Merlin's voice broke through his thoughts. "Why don't I go with Alwyn and get the water and Iris can stay here?"  
"Oh right, of course. That was exactly what I was going to suggest, Merlin."

And that solved the situation for a while but in the end Arthur just gave in and told them that as long as they behaved themselves, cook need never know about what happened. But to be completely safe, everyone involved had to swear an oath that, whatever happened on this trip, it was going to stay a complete secret from everyone even remotely acquainted with the kitchen servants. Arthur didn't like to take risks when cook was involved, partly because he didn't like to starve and partly because those kitchen knives were rather scary, especially in the hands of an angry woman. Iris, who wholly approved of the king's decision fell asleep that night, warm and comfortable, in Leon's arms.

When they returned to Camelot after an eventful week of catching thieves (Arthur and Leon), finding lost horses (Iris, Alwyn and Merlin), helping villagers repair fences (Percival and Elyan) and getting thrown out of taverns (Gwaine), everyone involved could honestly say that nothing had happened that cook would not approve of.  
Because the second-in-command was indeed a true gentleman to his stable hand.


	4. Eavesdropping

Sometimes you hear things that you shouldn't have...

* * *

**Eavesdropping**

"To choose a peasant over a noble woman, well I never…"  
"But the king, milady…"  
"The king does what he pleases and we must all abide by his folly, but for the rest of us there are certain standards to uphold. I don't understand why sir Leon has not been disowned yet." She stopped to look at some pink roses growing near a small pond.  
"Maybe his father truly doesn't mind? You do know that she was officially invited over to the estate?"  
"Yes I do, and the only reason that I can think of is that the king must have forced this family to accept her, willing to go to any lengths to justify his own misguided behaviour. Marrying a _serving_ _girl_, honestly… I bet that the other monarchs are secretly laughing their heads off. "  
"Maybe times are changing after all, milady?"  
"Hardly, and why would we want them to? So that everyone can marry who they damn well please and being of noble heritage will not mean anything?"  
"Milady?"  
"Oh, don't look at me like that, girl" she scoffed at her servant and they continued their walk.  
"How long before he realizes his mistake and casts her off then, milady?"  
"I should think no longer than a year, that is, if he doesn't come to his senses before the wedding and stops embarrassing himself. Or if she comes to _her_ senses and realizes that she is dragging a good man's name in the gutter. But surely, that would be too much to expect of a _peasant_." The last word was spat out as if it left a foul taste in her mouth.

The conversation was not overly loud, but neither was it particularly hushed and Iris had no trouble hearing every word of it. She had gone out to meet Leon after he was done with training and decided to take a short cut through the palace gardens. Having seen lady Gwendolyn taking a walk with her maidservant, Iris decided to disappear behind some trees until they'd walked past. Lady Gwendolyn didn't particularly like Iris and she didn't hesitate to show that. Iris hadn't expected that they would stop right in front of where she was hiding and froze where she stood, hardly daring to breathe until they had continued and were out of ear-shot, her emotions running wild. She was well aware that some people didn't approve of their relationship but usually she could ignore it. But for some reason she couldn't shake off the words as she usually did and suddenly felt that she needed to see Leon. Right now. Trembling, she set off to find him.

"… but I don't know how to tell her." Leon didn't sound happy. "I don't want to upset her."  
"Iris will understand" Percival tried to reassure him. "She knows that you would have to, sooner or later. It was bound to happen and she couldn't have expected anything else."  
"I suppose you're right" Leon sighed.  
"When are you going to tell her then?"  
"Tonight." The words were said with grim determination as the two knights walked off.

Iris stood frozen to the ground for the second time this day. She shouldn't have listened to their conversation, she really shouldn't have, but when she turned around the corner and saw the two of them engaged in conversation she didn't, for some reason, announce her presence but stayed out of sight to listen. She added what she'd just heard to what lady Gwendolyn had said earlier and it was soon clear to her what was happening. How stupid had she been, not to notice, not to understand this? How could she ever have believed that this could ever be, could ever last? She choked back a sob, she couldn't cry now, not here. So she ran to the one place where she always knew she would be welcome. The stables.

"Iris! I thought you were done for today?" Alwyn yelled from across the courtyard.  
"I am, I just forgot something" she answered, forcing herself to smile and continued walking briskly so she would be stopped and drawn into conversation with anyone. On her way to Aros she picked up his bridle, not bothering with the saddle. She didn't need it anyway and she was eager to get out of the city quickly. Ignoring the little voice inside her head that told her that she really should ask permission to take out one of the horses, she led Aros out through the back door and jumped onto his back. If anyone wanted to make a situation of this they were very welcome to do so, she didn't really care anymore. Pressing her heels lightly to Aros' sides she urged him on and quickly made her way out of the city.

"Looking for someone special?" Gwaine teased him as he caught Leon looking disappointedly around the training grounds.  
"Iris said she'd come meet me here after training was finished."  
"You two just can't keep away from each other, can you?" Leon just ignored Gwaine's comment, it was a long time ago since he realized that it was the easiest way to deal with it.  
"She could be working late perhaps?" Elyan suggested as they gathered outside one of the pavilions to drink some well-earned water before heading back to the castle. Leon answered with a shrug that could mean anything, downed the water in one large gulp and headed back.

A couple of hours later Leon was no longer disappointed but worried instead. He couldn't find Iris anywhere in the castle and no one seemed to have seen her for quite some time, not since she left work. She was not with Merlin. She was not in the stables. She was not at home. When he'd gone to the lower town to look he had just found her brother at home, sleeping soundly on the floor with an empty wine-skin in his arms. Leon decided not to wake him up, if Iris had been there her brother wouldn't have noticed it anyway. With an uneasy feeling in his stomach he headed back to the castle and the evening meal. The other knights took one look at him were he sat, absent-mindedly pushing the food around on his plate, and decided to step in.  
"We'll help you look for her, come on." They headed out and split up to cover as much ground as possible.

"Did she take a horse from the stable or not?"  
"I'm not sure, sir knight" the stable boy said, trembling under Leon's harsh gaze. "All the saddles are still here." Gwaine who'd accompanied Leon back to the stables put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from scaring the poor boy more.  
"Would you go see if you can find the stable master for me, lad?" The boy bowed quickly in answer to Gwaine's question and set off.  
"I know you're worried but scaring the living daylights out of that boy is not going to make you find her." Leon growled at Gwaine who continued, unfazed. "And I know that you don't want to hear this but listen anyway. Intimidating servants is not going to get you anywhere and it's not like you to do act like this. So get that temper of yours under control and then we'll find her, all right?"  
"Right" Leon snapped but he knew Gwaine was right and forced himself to calm down.  
When the stable master arrived he informed them that it seemed that Iris had taken out Aros as he wasn't in the stable but no one had noticed since his saddle was still there. She hadn't told anyone where she went.  
"Thank you." Leon said. "Could you get our horses ready for us?"  
"Of course, sir Leon."

The sun was beginning to set as they headed out and it was not long before it was too dark to continue to search but Gwaine still had to force Leon to turn back. The worry he felt had now made him loose what little restraint he'd managed to put on his temper and he tossed the reins carelessly the general direction of the stable boy before storming off towards the castle, leaving Gwaine behind him.

"What happened?"  
"Gwaine, let me go!"  
Leon whipped around and saw Iris and Gwaine just outside the stable door, Iris trying to get away from Gwaine but he had a good grip on her arm and didn't let go.  
"Get off her!" Leon shouted and darted forward to punch Gwaine but stopped short when he saw the ugly bruise that spread over the left side of her face.  
"Iris! What happened? Did Gwa…" Leon bit his tongue and cursed himself but it was too late, Gwaine had already heard. Iris tried to make her way out of there but Gwaine was having none of it, even if his eyes never left Leon's.  
"Leon, I know that I might not always be an impeccable knight, but you know that I would never…" He sounded hurt and Leon felt very ashamed of himself for even suggesting something like that. Whatever faults Gwaine had, hurting people he cared about wasn't one of them.  
"No," he said quickly, "of course I know that Gwaine, I apologize, I'm really sorry. I'm just…" He shrugged uncertainly and Gwaine waved his excuse away; he was never one to hold a grudge for long and he knew he would have reacted exactly the same way, were their roles reversed. Besides, it was nice to know that the normally stoic knight had found someone that mattered enough to him to provoke these kinds of outbursts, even if Gwaine would've preferred not to be on the receiving end of them.  
"Well, it seems that the two of you have some things to discuss, and as it's getting late, "Gwaine paused and faked a large yawn, "I think I'm going to turn in for the night." He smiled at them and strolled away.

"I'm going home too" Iris said brusquely and turned to leave but Leon got in her way.  
"Oh no, you're not. We need to talk. Why did you leave like that?" Iris refused to look at him, refused to answer. Putting two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look up at him he asked again.  
"I don't want to talk, not here." Iris jerked her head away.  
"Fine, we'll talk inside then" Leon said, taking her hand and starting to walk towards the castle. "Someone needs to take a look at that bruise as well."  
"No, wait, let me go. It's better if we just don't talk, let's just leave it." Iris squirmed but Leon just carried on.  
"You can either walk on your own or I'll carry you but, either way, you're coming inside. Your choice."  
"Fine" she spat out and marched forward. There was _no way_ that she was going to let herself be carried like a child, and that was unfortunately exactly what was going to happen if she didn't cooperate. Not only was Leon stronger than her but also incredibly stubborn sometimes.

They walked in silence until Leon had closed the door to his chambers.  
"Well?" he said without preamble.  
"Well what?" Iris had sat down on the rug in front of the fire and stared at the flames.  
"Why didn't you meet me, where were you, why did you leave the city, how did that happen, have you any idea how worried I've been?"  
"Is this some sort of inquisition?" Iris snapped. "Why would you worry if you are leaving me anyway?"  
"What are you talking about? Why would I do that?" Leon said perplex.  
"I heard you talking to Percival" she answered, tears welling up in her eyes and she angrily blinked them away, "and then she said the same thing and I just…" Her voice died away and Leon looked utterly confused.  
"What on earth are you talking about? Who is she? _Percival_?" The last word was uttered with such complete disbelief that Iris found herself almost giggling despite the situation. She told him about what lady Gwendolyn had said, and then about how she overheard him talking with Percival.

"… and then you thought I was going to leave you and tell you that tonight?" Leon said and Iris shrugged her shoulders and looked down. He sighed.  
"It would be understandable" Iris said quietly. "If would not hold it against you if…" She was interrupted by Leon who pressed his lips against hers in an almost violent kiss.  
"I would never ever do that to you" he whispered breathlessly when they broke apart. "You. Have. My. Word." Each word was accentuated by a light kiss. "I have to go away on patrol and we'll likely be gone several weeks, and I've been putting off telling you since I don't really want to be away from you that long."  
"Oh." Iris suddenly felt very stupid. "I really messed this up, didn't I? I'm sorry." Leon just pulled her into his arms and they sat together in front of the fire for a while.

"You still haven't explained this" Leon remembered, his fingers lightly caressing her cheek.  
"My brother and I had a disagreement. About money."  
"I'm going to kill him!" Leon snarled and Iris furrowed her brown.  
"As much as I would like to say yes right know, that might be a bit of an overreaction." To break the tension she tried to joke: "And besides, who would give me away at the wedding?"  
"Elyan." Leon answered without hesitation and Iris looked up in confusion. "Gwaine and he got drunk and challenged each other over which one of them would give you away" he explained. "Elyan won, mostly because Gwaine was so drunk he could barely stand. So you won't have to worry about that."  
"Good." Iris tried to look serious but failed miserably and ended up laughing. "Really? What were they thinking?"  
"It was probably the ale thinking" Leon said drily. "But about your brother, seriously Iris…."  
"I know, I know" she interrupted. "I'll handle it."  
"Why don't you let me help you? There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."  
"I don't think that killing him would be the best of ideas Leon."  
"You know I wouldn't do that, but he doesn't…" Leon said thoughtfully. "I could give him a good scare, and I'm sure our friends would be delighted to join me." He smiled maliciously.

"Just a scare?"  
"Just a scare" he confirmed. "Tust me." And she did. With all her heart.


	5. Bride-to-be with bruises

Leon and Iris continue their journey towards their marriage but they're still encountering some obstacles on the way.

* * *

**Bride-to-be with bruises **

Deciding on a date for was the least of all the things that one had to deal with when planning a wedding, Iris thought. The real challenge was to not look like a total idiot while trying to navigate one's way from acquaintances to friends to lovers to spouses. Also, one had to handle everything from meddling friends to embarrassing mother figures to disapproving noblewomen and jealous servants. Not to mention an alcoholic brother constantly asking for money.

And also, apparently, fiancés being overly overprotective.

Leon told himself to be calm and opened the doors to Gaius' chambers but it only took one look at the small form on the bed to make him do exactly what he'd promised himself not to.  
"Are you purposely trying to get yourself killed?" he half-shouted, storming across the room. Merlin was taking care of her so he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that she would be fine but she looked so small and so pale, with an awful bruise across her cheek and a split lip.  
"And good day to you too" Iris answered wincing as the door slammed shut. "And no, I'm trying to do my job."  
"Your job is not to get shoved headfirst into walls" Leon growled, pacing impatiently around.  
"My job is to take care of the horses and accidents happen sometimes if they get scared." Iris shrugged, and winced when the movement sent a flare of pain through her shoulder. "Could you please lower your voice a little? My head hurts." That did not stop Leon, he was so worried that his feelings came out as anger instead and he slammed his fist straight into the wall.  
"Leon!" Merlin shouted and Iris winced again. "Calm down or I'll kick you out. She has a concussion."  
"And the mother of all headaches to go with it, so I rather you didn't to continue with the shouting and all that…" Leon was kneeling beside the bed in an instant and taking her hand.  
"I'm sorry. I was just so worried."  
"Hitting walls and shouting is not going to help" Merlin said drily. "She'll be all right, Leon, she just needs to rest."  
Merlin rose to his feet and went over to the workbench as Leon sat down on the chair that Merlin had just vacated and took Iris' hand.  
"But she is so pale, shouldn't you do something?" Leon insisted, looking at Merlin.  
"I'm telling you to calm down so that she can rest, that's all she needs" Merlin answered over his shoulder, while he busied his hands with mixing different herbs together in a bowl.

"I need to take these to some families in the lower town, and Gaius wanted me to collect some more herbs as well so I'll be gone for a while." He lifted the bag that he'd filled with different flasks and vials turned around to face them. "Will the two of you behave if I leave you alone?"  
"For goodness' sake, not you too Merlin" Iris groaned. This joke was getting really old now. Merlin just smiled innocently.  
"I just had to make sure Leon doesn't start shouting and hitting walls again" he said and walked to the door. "What did you think that I meant?" he added with a wicked grin. Leon threw a pillow at him but Merlin managed to dodge it, hitting his elbow in the process.  
"Ouch!"  
"Shouldn't be so clumsy, Merlin" Iris teased him.  
"Would you want me to put you back in the same state as you were when you came here?" he retorted.  
"No, no, it's fine, absolutely fine" she said hastily.  
"I thought as much" he muttered, rubbing his elbow.  
When Merlin had closed the door behind him, silently for which Iris was grateful, she turned to Leon.  
"Will you hold me?" She carefully scooted over to the side of the bed. Equally carefully, he stretched out beside her and pulled her into a hug. They settled into a comfortable silence and Leon felt her muscles relaxing, melting into his embrace.

"Leon?" Iris voice was slightly muffled due to the fact that she was speaking into his shoulder.  
"Yes?"  
"Are you really mad at me?" Leon sighed.  
"Not really, just worried. Why didn't someone tell me earlier?"  
"Because you had training and that delegation came, and then the council meeting was really important" Iris explained. "And besides, it's just a concussion" she added without much thought. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.  
"Just a concussion!" Leon exclaimed before reining in his temper and continuing. "Next time, I want to know straight away if anything happens to you."  
"You know, I was rather hoping that there _wouldn't_ be a next time" Iris tried to joke but Leon ignored that.  
"Promise me that you'll tell me straight away if anything happens."  
"I'm not made of glass, Leon" she protested. He just continued to look straight into her eyes and softly said: "Please?"  
There was no way she could resist that, emotional blackmail at it's finest.  
"I promise."  
"And sod the bloody council meetings; nothing's more important than you." He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead and the two of them went to sleep.

The next day the headache was much better and Iris didn't feel dizzy anymore but Gaius had forbidden her to work and Merlin was put on babysitting duty to ensure that she followed orders. By the end of the day they were both extremely frustrated, Iris because she wasn't allowed to do anything, and Merlin because she was sulking like a little child because of that. He was visibly relieved to see Leon leaving the council room.  
"Here, you take care of her now. She's been an absolute nightmare all day." Leon just chuckled as Merlin took off.  
"What did you do?"  
"Nothing, that's the problem, I'm bored out of my mind." She looked hopefully at him. "Can we go down to the stables?"  
"No, you're supposed to rest."  
"Not you too, I'm fine" Iris groaned. "I've done nothing but resting the whole day."  
"Sorry, Gaius's orders." Leon said firmly and Iris pouted.  
"Please?"  
"No. Come on, I have another idea."

As they walked towards an area of the castle that was rarely used Iris walked pass a mirror and couldn't help but to laugh when she saw what she looked like.  
"What?"  
"We're so lucky that this will have time to heal before the wedding, otherwise I would have to put a table cloth over my head to cover it up."  
And Leon couldn't help to smile and (carefully) kiss his beautiful, slightly bruised bride-to-be.  
"We'll just tell everyone that it's the latest fashion for bridal veils."


	6. Groom-to-be with gashes

A visit to the tavern ends on a rather somber note…

* * *

**Groom-to-be with gashes**

After coming back from a long patrol that had taken them, as Gwaine put it, to the very outskirts of civilization, they decided that it had been far too long since they had a decent jug of ale. To remedy this, they all decided to head down to the tavern and make the most of the night, especially since Arthur had given them the next day off and they didn't have to worry about showing up to practice hung-over. Not that Gwaine worried about that anyway, but at least for the others it was a relief to know that they could have a bit of a lie-in in the morning.

The tavern was very busy but Gwaine's familiarity with one of the serving girls quickly secured them a table for the evening. As the level of ale in their jugs sank, their spirits rose and soon the tiresome journey they'd had was nearly forgotten. Elyan even went as far as to propose a toast to Arthur for sending them on the quest but the others voted that down, insisting that they'd toast to love and friendship instead.  
"And a woman to keep your bed warm at night" Gwaine added, his eyes on a pretty blonde girl behind the bar. "Excuse me, gentlemen." He downed the rest of his drink and walked over to her.  
"Is now a good time to tell him that she is the innkeeper's daughter?" Elyan asked the others innocently.  
"Nah, let him find out for himself" Percival said. "This will be fun." They all turned around in time to see Gwaine get all but chased away from the girl and slightly discouraged make his return to the table.  
"You knew about this, didn't you?" he accused them and was met with an unapologetic burst of laughter. "Some fine friends you lot are" he grumbled as he sat down, arms crossed over his chest, but it wasn't long until he laughed along with them and they continued their evening.

They couldn't help but notice a very drunk pair of merchants that had been drinking steadily all evening and Gwaine and Percival had even betted on when they were going to fall under the table. Now one of them walked from the bar again, stumbling and grinning like loon whilst trying not to spill the drinks he was holding. He almost made it back to his table but then his leg caught on something, he stumbled and that sent the ale flying. Unfortunately, for the man sitting in his way, the ale sloshed all over his back and soaked him to the skin.  
"Didn't see you there, sorry 'bout that" the culprit said cheerily, still grinning and scrambling to get to his feet, presumably to get go back to the bar and get new drinks. The man who just had his shirt ruined slowly stepped to his feet, glaring at the merchant.  
"Do you have any idea who I am?" he growled menacingly. The merchant, now on his feet but swaying slightly, seemed to think for a minute before answering.  
"You're not my brother" he said with a silly smile, "and not my father and not my cousin either, because he's sitting over there." He pointed at the other merchant and laughed as if he'd said anything particularly entertaining.  
"You think you're being funny?" He gripped the front of the merchant's tunic. "I'll show you something funny" he shouted and threw a punch that sent the man flying backwards, pulling a table with him as he went down. The sound of angry voices and crockery smashing on the floor drew everyone's attention and before things could escalate further the group of knights had stepped in to keep the parties separated from each other. The merchants scurried out of the tavern as fast as their drunken state allowed without even having to be told to leave, throwing nervous glances over their shoulders.

The man with the ale-drenched shirt shook off his friends that tried to calm him down and sat down grudgingly. He was in a very bad mood and kept insisting loudly that his shirt was destroyed. When he grabbed the innkeeper's wife, pulling her onto his lap and demanded that she'd compensate him for it, she slapped him hard across the face.  
"Wench!" he snarled and shoved her so she fell to the ground. Her husband rushed forward to help her up and Leon hauled the man to his feet and kicked him out, clearly signaling that he'd overstayed his welcome. He got back in but the whole incident had somewhat ruined the atmosphere and they all started to feel how tired they really were. Leon was the first to leave, deciding that the thought of sleeping in a bed for the first time in weeks instead on the hard ground was too tempting to ignore.

As Leon was making his way home through the lower town he didn't notice the shadow following him. Just as he turned around a corner someone swiftly stepped up behind him and hit him over the head. It was a foul trick and Leon struggled to turn around and face the attacker, his head still spinning from the blow. It was the man he'd thrown out of the tavern earlier he registered dimly before the man lunged forward and tackled him to the ground. He fell hard and the back of his head hit the cobblestones. The man quickly straddled him to keep him down with his weight and pulled out a knife.  
"Not so high and mighty now, are we?" the man taunted. He brought the knife down and Leon just managed to jerk his head to the side, the knife narrowly missing his throat to cut into his shoulder instead. The man swore, clamped his other hand on Leon's throat and raised the knife again. Leon felt himself rapidly losing consciousness as he couldn't breathe, and clawed desperately at the man's hand to get it off. His vision was diminishing and he could feel his strength fading. Just as his attacker was to stab the second time, he froze and his eyes turned glazed before slumping down on top of Leon.

After inhaling explosively Leon started to regain some consciousness and pushed the man off him. When he sat up the world started spinning and he would have fallen if it wasn't for small hands on his shoulders that steadied him.  
"Leon?" He blinked and tried to concentrate. He recognized that voice and, when he managed to focus, Iris's pale face appeared before him. "What happened, are you alright, come on, you need to get to Gaius right now…" She looked worriedly at him and he realized he hadn't answered her.  
What was she doing here anyway?  
"Never mind that now, can you walk?" she said impatiently and he realized that he'd been saying the question out loud. Iris tried to pull him to his feet but his legs didn't want to cooperate. Iris huffed with frustration, turned her back and pulled off her tunic and undershirt. Leon looked dumbfounded at her, but she pulled the tunic back on and started to rip the undershirt into strips.  
"It's bleeding so much" she explained and when Leon looked down to his shoulder he realized that it was no understatement. His tunic was soaked through with blood.  
"Where are the others?" she asked as she started dressing the wound.  
"Tavern" he managed to say, wincing as she secured the makeshift bandage tightly.  
"I'm sorry" she apologized. "You just stay here; I'll go get some help. Take the knife in case he wakes up but I don't think he will." She put the knife in his hand and set off running. Leon looked over to the man lying beside him and saw that he had a big lump on the back of his head and some sort of smashed crockery was scattered on the ground. He couldn't remember how that happened and he was tired, so very tired, that he couldn't manage to figure it out right now. He felt himself starting to drift off to sleep and took a firmer hold on the knife, fighting to stay awake.

When Iris burst into the tavern, blood all over her tunic and shouting for help, the knights sobered up quicker than she would have thought was humanly possible. It was not long before they were all at Leon's side to take him back to the castle. Percival could easily carry him on his own, and Gwaine and Elyan dragged the attacker off to the dungeons. Iris ran in advance to alert Gaius and Merlin and to help them prepare. When Percival entered the room carrying Leon it only took Gaius one quick look to see all the blood and he hurriedly started ordering Merlin around. Percival was promptly sent outside to wait and a minute later Iris found herself pushed out the door as well, as Gaius claimed that she was getting in their way. So when Gwaine and Elyan returned from the dungeons it was to find the two of them impatiently pacing in the corridor outside Gaius' chambers. Iris turned to them uncertainly as the approached.

"That man, I didn't…" Her voice wavered and she tried again. "I didn't kill him, right?"  
"No, he started coming around on the way" Elyan answered. "We might have _accidentally_ dropped him when he started struggling so he's knocked out again but apart from that, he's all right" Elyan shrugged.  
"And apart from the nice headache he'll wake up to" Gwaine said coldly. "Wait, _you_ hit him?" he added surprised. Iris nodded.  
"What happened?"  
"I would like to know that as well" Merlin said as he stepped out from the room. "He'll be fine" he said in answer to the look on their faces. "He's lost some blood, he's probably got a concussion and he'll need to rest that shoulder for a while but Gaius trusts that he will make a full recovery." Everyone breathed out with relief and the tension slowly seeped out of the group.  
"Can we see him?" Iris asked. Merlin shook his head.  
"He's asleep and he needs to rest. You can see him in the morning" Merlin answered. "Has anyone told Arthur?" Everyone shook their heads.  
"We were waiting for Iris to tell us what happened" Gwaine said.  
"Yes, we'd all like to know" Elyan pitched in.  
"But I don't know what happened, I just found him when I was going home" Iris said. "He was with you."  
"Until he left and you came" Gwaine answered and Merlin frowned, not able to make much sense of their conversation.  
"Listen, Arthur needs to know this anyway, and Gaius is taking care of Leon, there is no need for us to stand here. Why don't we all go to Arthur and get it all explained?" Everyone nodded in acquiescent and they headed to the royal chambers. Merlin nodded towards the guards and knocked.

"Who is it?"  
"Merlin, sire."  
"Since when do you ever knock _Merlin_?" In answer to this Merlin rolled his eyes and pulled the door open.  
"What is the point of knocking, if you don't wait for me to tell you to enter anyway?" Arthur asked and looked up from the parchment he'd been reading. He looked surprised to find not only Merlin but also Gwaine, Elyan, Iris and Percival in the room and worried, once he saw the blood-stained clothes.

"Well?"  
"Leon's been attacked, sire."  
"What?" Arthur jumped to his feet. "Is he all right?"  
"He's going to be fine, sire" Merlin answered. "Gaius is taking care of him." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down again.  
"What happened?"  
"We were at the tavern and there was a man that behaved so badly that Leon and Percival had to throw him out" Gwaine started to explain. "Then Leon went home and Iris comes looking for us with blood all over her and Leon's been stabbed by that man." Gwaine turned to Iris and gestured for her to continue.  
"I was going home when I saw someone on the ground and it was Leon and that man was on top of him and he had a knife and I hit him and then I went to the tavern to get help" Iris quickly blurted out without pausing to breathe. Arthur considered this for a while and then asked Merlin:  
"How bad are his injuries?"  
"He's lost a fair bit of blood, sire, and he'll need to rest his shoulder for a while. Also he might have a concussion due to a blow to the head but with time and rest he should be all right."  
"Good. Is the attacker locked up?"  
"Yes, sire" Gwaine answered. "Unfortunately there wasn't enough room so we had to use the older cells down the hall." Everyone present knew this was a complete lie. The older cells were rarely used because they were so horribly damp and moldy that it was hard to justify locking someone up in there but since the man had attacked Leon no one felt that he deserved any better.  
"Excellent. I'll pay him a visit tomorrow to see how he finds his accommodation" Arthur said with cold satisfaction. "Merlin, when can I talk to Leon?"  
"Tomorrow, sire."  
"Well, there's not much more we can do tonight then" Arthur concluded. "Get some sleep, all of you, and we'll talk to Leon in the morning." They all nodded and turned to leave.  
"And Iris?"  
"Yes, sire?"  
"You stay in the castle tonight; you're not to run around in the lower city at this time of night alone."  
"But I…" she started but Arthur interrupted her.  
"Stay in Leon's chambers."  
"Yes, sire" she agreed and left.

The next morning once Leon was awake they all got to hear the full story. He was a bit uncertain on some details because of the concussion but by and large he remembered everything.  
"… and then he just fell on top of me and I pushed him off me when I could breathe again" he finished telling.  
"You'll have to thank your fiancée for that" Gwaine told him. At Leon's confused look he patiently explained. "She knocked him out cold." Leon turned to Iris that hadn't left his side since she'd been allowed to see him.  
"You did?" he asked surprised. "With what?"  
"A clay jar. You're welcome, by the way."  
"What were you doing carrying that around?" Leon asked frowning but he had a feeling that there was something else, something really important that he was missing. Then he realized. "And what were you doing out there in the middle of the night anyway?" he half-shouted while scrambling to get out of bed. "You could've been hurt!"  
"Yep, he's clearly feeling better" Merlin noted as he put a hand on Leon's shoulder to keep him from getting up.  
"Yes, about that, I was going to tell you." Iris coughed, a little embarrassed, and continued: "I might have found a little deer baby that's lost its mother."  
"And?" Leon failed to see the connection and clearly wanted more explaining.  
"Well, I took it in and it's warmer in your chambers than at my house and I didn't want the poor little thing to catch a cold. So I stayed until it fell asleep and then I was going home and then I saw you and…" She shrugged. "Well, you know what happened after that."

Leon tried to wrap his head around this.  
"So I have a deer in my chambers?"  
"Well, it's a fawn really."  
"So I have a fawn in my chambers then?"  
"Yes. But I was going to tell you."  
"When exactly?"  
"When you saw how cute it was so you couldn't possibly say no when she asked to keep it of course" Gwaine butted in, failing miserably to keep a straight face. "Well, why don't we leave the two love birds to discuss this in private?" he then suggested and everyone got to their feet.  
Once alone Leon and Iris talked for a while, about the new pet he seemed to have acquired among other thing, until he fell asleep. Iris stayed at his side holding his hand.

Leon recovered quickly and soon Gaius permitted him to go back to live in his own chambers. Well, now they were his and Amddifad's chambers, since the little fawn apparently had decided to become a full time resident in the castle. It didn't bother Leon that much, because that also meant that Iris would spend a lot of time there. His shoulder was getting better by the day but he was distant and moody and something seemed to be troubling him.

"We need to talk" Iris said without preamble a fortnight after the attack.  
"Not now, can't it wait?"  
"Yes, now, and no, it can't wait. What is bothering you?"  
"Nothing." Leon turned to leave but Iris was faster and beat him to the door.  
"Tell me. Everyone can see that something's wrong." Leon refused to look her in the eyes and didn't say anything. Iris decided to hazard a guess.  
"Are you embarrassed because I saved you?" Her question startled Leon. "Because you have still refused to say anything about it."  
"Yes! I mean, no, not like that, it's just…" He gestured vaguely, shoulders sagging and turned to sit down in one of the chairs by the fire. Iris followed him and climbed onto his lap. He stared into the fire for a long time before he started to speak.  
"I feel ashamed" Leon admitted softly. "Not because I'm embarrassed that you saved me, but because I should have been stronger, I should have been able to take him out myself. I wasn't good enough." Iris sighed and let her head rest on his shoulder.  
"You had been away on patrol for several weeks, were you didn't get to sleep properly or eat properly and you got hit over the head from behind" she pointed out. "You're being too hard on yourself."  
"I still failed. I'm supposed to protect you."  
"But I wasn't in any danger at the time. That poor woman was and you protected her."  
"What if that man had hurt you?"  
"What if the sun falls from the sky tomorrow?"  
"But…" Leon started to protest.  
"No buts" she interrupted, shifting so she could look him straight in the yes. "And no ifs, or maybes or perhaps. We'll never know what might have happened because it didn't. I'm fine. You'll be fine. We protect each other. Yes?"  
"We protect each other" he confirmed, taking her hands in his.


	7. Pet of fire, breath on fire

_Author's note_

_Well here we are, at way's end. What was originally intended to be a one-shot turned out to be a small story with seven chapters, I don't really know how that happened..._

_But this is it anyway, I just wanted to add this little cute, fluffy, sweet nonsense epilogue thingy to give the fic a proper send-off before moving on to pastures new… This takes some time after Leon and Iris got married , and after Merlin revelaed his magic to Arthur so it's AU in that sense. Basically, I just wanted to write something cute about dragons ;-)_

_Thanks to everyone who read this, it's my first fic, I had so much fun writing and I really hope you liked it :-)_

_**KzGlazey**, thank you so much, I'm really glad you like it and as for the whole being-bored-at-work-situation I totally know how you feel... I don't have anything to do right now either, why do you think I update so often? But it feels good to know that I'm saving a fellow Merlin fan from boredom ;-) _

* * *

The ban on magic being lifted, both magic people and magic creatures can come out of hiding...

* * *

**Pet of fire, breath on fire**

No one, least of all Merlin, had dared to hope that this day would ever come. But it had finally, _finally_ happened. The ban on using magic had been lifted and he, along with many others, no longer had to hide his true self. Merlin almost couldn't believe that Arthur had accepted his magic. And there were other benefits as well, because now he would not have to hide his pet anymore...

"Oh Merlin, she is absolutely lovely" Iris said, unable to look away from the tiny dragon before her. Merlin smiled like a proud parent and tickled Cariad's chin, causing her to make a curious sound, almost like a giggle and small puffs of smoke to emit from her nose. Iris smiled delightedly and reached out her hand to pat her but stopped abruptly when Cariad suddenly hissed sharply and went to hide behind Merlin.  
"She doesn't like me?" she asked, looking at Merlin uncertainly.  
"She is probably a little scared, she was kept in a cage that was so small that she couldn't get away when people touched her" Merlin answered, slowly petting the small dragon to calm her down. "It's all right, lovely," he cooed soothingly, "Iris is not one of those mean people. Iris is really nice." And after some coaxing and encouragement Cariad, albeit shyly, allowed Iris to softly pet her.  
"Can she speak?" Iris asked Merlin. He shook his head.  
"She's too young," he explained. "But she does understand when spoken to, and she can communicate with people that have magic."  
"Oh" Iris simply said, wonder in her eyes. "Like the druids?" Merlin nodded. Cariad cocked her small head to the side and looked Merlin straight in the eyes. He snorted with laughter.  
"Do you want to know what she said about you?" he asked Iris.  
"What?"  
"She said you are nice but you smell of horses" Merlin answered giggling.  
"Hey!" Iris exclaimed, mock-hurt. "It's not my fault that I work in the stables" she said and gave Cariad a soft poke to the belly. The tiny dragon retreated making a face that would be called pouting if she was human.

"Did I make her cross?" Irisa sked worriedly.  
"Nah, she's just sulking" Merlin said. "Try scratching the scales on her neck" he suggested when it was clear that Cariad wasn't going to forgive that belly poke any time soon. "She really likes it". And when Iris did it was soon clear that this was Cariad's favourite spot as the tiny dragon chirped with delight before confidently climbing onto Iris' lap and insistently pushing at her hand until she continued scratching. It was not long before Cariad curled up and, purring like a cat, fell asleep.

"You do know what this means right?" Gwaine said as he unceremoniously flopped down on the bench beside Leon.  
"What?" Leon grunted, his eyes still on his wife fussing over the small dragon.  
"She'll want one of her own soon" Gwaine answered lightly and Leon's eyes widened in horror when he realized what Gwaine had meant.  
"Oh no" was all he managed to say before Gwaine pushed himself to his feet again and patted his shoulder, smiling like the cat who got the canary.  
"Good luck my friend, you're going to need it."  
Leon resisted the urge to fling his cup at the knight's retreating back and instead lowered his forehead to the table. Why couldn't he have fallen in love with a girl that was content to have a kitten? But no, of course he had to fall for the girl who wanted not only a kitten and a puppy but also adopted a duckling that couldn't fly and a deer that had lost its mother, not to mention a bloody frog, because it apparently "looked sad." Considering that, it was only logical that such a menagerie would not be complete without a pet dragon as well. Leon groaned when he thought of all the flammable objects in their chambers and went to get another drink. He definitely needed one.

The end.


End file.
